Institute for Biblical & Scientific Studies

Genesis:
Genesis 10 - The Table of Nations

7 Key Points

There is a fondness for the number 7. Japhet's sons and grandsons total
7. This is by design just like the genealogies in Matthew one are 3 groups
of 14.

There is a total of 70 nations which was the common belief in the ancient
world. 70 is also a traditional round number for large group of descendants
(Wenham 1987, 213). This is only a small part of the world that we know
from that day. There is no mention of the far East like China or Japan.
Nor is there any mention of Indians in North or South America. Acts 2
seems to be a reversal of Babel. It reflects the view of the world at
that time which is similar to the division of the earth among the signs
of the zodiac (Bruce 1977, 61). The Jewish Midrash (Tanchuma 26c) said
that the earth was divided into 70 languages.

A majority of scholars see a first-millennium date for this chapter,
because some of the people listed were not known until this time. For
example, the Philistines did not come to Canaan until 1200 BC. Oded argues
that this chapter is based on the early view that man was divided into
three groups, urban dwellers (Ham), nomadic peoples (Shem), and seafarers
(Japhet).

While many names mentioned are personal, others are place names, like
Sidon and Sheba, and others are group names like Amorites.

"Son of " can mean a treaty relationship, not a blood line.
It may refer to the political or geographical relationship, and not genealogical
lines (Wenham 1987, 215).

The geography of Genesis 10 is similar to geography in the ancient
Near East. The Babylonian
map of the world pictures a circle earth surrounded by a circular
sea with islands (nagu) across the sea (Horowitz 1990, 35). Japheth seems
to inhabit the islands of the sea which surround the circular earth. The
Sargon Geography which is preserved on several tablets also has similar
geography (Horowitz 1998, 67).

There is a chiastic structure to this genealogy. Noah's sons are listed
in this order: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; then they are discussed in reverse
order (Hamilton 1990, 331).